Antimatter has a high-profile place in the legends created by science fiction. From the Starship Enterprise narrowly missing incineration in an antimatter explosion to my current project, Hindsight Station, antimatter fascinates us. Its use in weaponry and power by James Fong in Hindsight Station, to Star Trek itself, do we see a marriage of imagination and reality occur?
I certainly think so. I remember the initial showings of Star Trek Enterprise and the many appearances of antimatter in engine design. The fictional narrative also drew me to wonder about the reality of antimatter. Does it exist? What does it do, and will it vaporize our planet if handled carelessly?
Antimatter To The Stars
We didn’t first hear about antimatter from a fictional galaxy, far-far away. Certainly, the highly unstable and explosive nature of antimatter became the stuff of sci-fi legends in the likes of Star Trek and Stargate. However, the magnetic curiosity that is antimatter received its first airing in the real world in 1928.
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Paul Dirac showed us that every particle has an oppositely charged particle twin of equal mass. It inspired Carl Anderson to prove it. The inspired young physicist successfully proved antimatter’s existence, using a lighter atomic particle (i.e., not a proton). It gained him the Nobel Prize in 1931. This coalescing of keen minds laid the groundwork for decades of inspired sci-fi, and also scientific progress.
Travel Time For Antimatter
Antimatter, like in so many Star Trek productions, is highly sensitive to electro-magnetic interference from our ‘normal’ world. Normal matter can literally obliterate it at an atomic level. The ability to study it requires a special environment in today’s scientific arena. We know today that not all antimatter will react and explode planets or starships, as seen in Star Trek. We also know we need to know more about antimatter.
In order to discover the non-uniform traits of antimatter, the CERN laboratory in Switzerland has taken an important step toward antimatter portability. To isolate antimatter from normal (matter-based) interference, CERN’s BASE experiment needs to bring antiprotons off-site to any lab in Europe that can accommodate a series of antiprotons for study.
We need to find the unique properties of antimatter in an isolated environment where electromagnetism and gravity do not interfere. The proton, been a heavy atomic particle, is the lucky candidate. Just last year, CERN transported protons in a breakthrough experiment. The thousand kilogram housing unit moved trapped protons within the CERN test facility.
Future Goals, Real Inspiration
This is an enormous step, as antiprotons, is essentially the same as the normally charged proton particle. The goal of CERN is to trap antimatter in their lab and transport it to any lab in Europe for further study. As you can see, science inspires science fiction, as ‘sci-fi’ inspires science.
Ever meet a sci-fi fan who thinks there are shreds of the real world in every good sci-fi show or movie? As a life long sci-fi fan, I have found many such individuals besides myself. As the human heart yearns to know more, this alliance of fact and fiction drives our scientific understanding forward.
Despite war, politics and famine, our inherent need to know better, and do better, pushes back the darkness in favor of a better tomorrow. No one can tell us how we feel about our world, that part is up to us. However, as we move forward, we incrementally build a tapestry of understanding that starts with a curious mind and a courageous heart. That tapestry never stops becoming the world we live in.
About the Author
As I move onto my next authoring project, I will post less frequently on the real-world issues linked to my novel, From Terror to Valor: Echoes and Shadows. My next project, Hindsight Station, will be a progression science-fiction webnovel, delivered via Patreon and eventually Royal Road.
John is a versatile author known for his gripping fiction narratives in the thriller, action, and sci-fi genres. With a background as a journalist since 2016, and expertise in cloud technologies as an engineer; John brings a unique blend of storytelling prowess and technical acumen to his work.
